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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Today is National Voter Registration Day

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Tuesday, September 19, 2023   

Today is National Voter Registration Day.

Michiganders have many locations where they can register to vote, such as community colleges, universities, shelters, food banks, libraries, fairs and even on the web.

Paula Bowman, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan, said part of its mission is to engage voters in democracy, which starts by helping people to register.

"(You) can't participate in your democracy in terms of elections unless you vote," Bowman stressed. "Even though in Michigan you can vote up through Election Day, we want to help people avoid that hassle and get registered to vote as soon as possible when they are eligible."

According to U.S. census data from 2020, as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, do not update their registration, or are not sure how to register.

Bowman pointed out engagement increases after someone is registered, because the fact they have registered to vote is a matter of public record and can be valuable.

"Believe it or not, they start getting all kinds of campaign information," Bowman noted. "People may contact them to be a poll worker or an election worker. I will say that not all of that is welcome, but it does make them recipients, which is important."

National Voter Registration Day is celebrated every September. It involves volunteers and organizations from all over the country hitting the streets in a single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts. Michigan will even host two weeks worth of registration efforts at the ArtPrize fair in Grand Rapids.

Disclosure: The League of Women Voters contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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